


we're not too far gone

by onceuponanevilangel



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Found Family, Gen, I'm Bad At Titles, Light Angst, Sister-Sister Relationship, background lumity, i just want lilith to join the owl fam is that really too much to ask, lilith and eda still love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26031943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceuponanevilangel/pseuds/onceuponanevilangel
Summary: 'Eda waited, let the quiet stretch until she saw Lilith bite her lip and shift her gaze upwards—the same tell she’d always had when she was trying not to cry. For just a split second the coven mask seemed to slip and Eda saw a rare glimpse of her sister behind it.'Post 1x17 Wing it Like Witches: The night after the grudgby match, the Owl House gets an unexpected visitor.*This was written BEFORE 1x18 Agony of a Witch aired*
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & Lilith Clawthorne
Comments: 24
Kudos: 150





	we're not too far gone

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t think I was going to be back here so soon, but I do not control the hyperfixation so here we are! (Also ngl, the amount of love and engagement my first fic got was super encouraging and I genuinely can’t thank y’all enough for that!!) I have pretty much completely succumbed to brain rot for the Clawthorne sisters at this point and this just...sort of happened. I am so excited for Agony of a Witch, but I'm also completely dreading it, so for the next 11-ish hours I will simply be living in denial.
> 
> Title comes from "Wreck of Our Hearts" by Sleeping Wolf
> 
> Anyway, usual disclaimers apply: this is un-betaed and proofread incredibly quickly, so I apologize for any mistakes. Kudos and comments are always appreciated, and I hope y'all enjoy!!

Eda wasn’t sure that she could pinpoint the exact moment that the Owl House had transitioned from an isolated secret outlaw hideout to the premiere after-school hangout spot for a quartet of misfit teenagers, but ever since Luz had started school, it had become common for there to be an extra kid or two or three hanging around.

The day after the grudgby match, a sleepover just seemed like the natural progression of events. For one thing, the kids were all far too excited to split up, but if Eda was honest with herself, it was also a welcome distraction. All afternoon she’d just heard Lilith’s voice playing over and over in her head.

_No! I can’t go back to the emperor empty-handed._

Lilith had always been the stoic one, the strategic one, the _brave_ one. But there was so much fear and anguish in her voice at the very thought of going back to the emperor, and it worried Eda more than she had tried to let on. Lilith wasn’t supposed to be afraid of anything. It was a childish thought, Eda knew, but she was still sure that anyone that could scare her sister like that was someone that Eda didn’t want to meet.

At least with the kids around, Eda was almost able to forget about Lilith and the emperor.

Almost.

She was still far too worn out from the day to even _think_ about cooking, but she found enough leftover stew to throw in a pot for dinner, and she sent Owlbert out to try to snag something from the Bonesborough bakery for dessert.

Meanwhile in the living room, Luz had found a banged-up game board in one of Eda’s most recent treasure piles, and she was animatedly trying to explain it to Willow, Gus, Amity, and King. From what Eda could hear, it seemed to involve a lot of money, strategy, jail, and occasionally some good old-fashioned highway robbery; in other words, it was calling Eda’s name.

“Alright, you got me,” she said as she plopped down on the sofa. “Got room for one more?”

“The more the merrier!” Luz exclaimed. She slid Eda a metal game piece shaped like a wheelbarrow and set up the rest of the board.

It took a few turns for everyone to figure out the rules, but it quickly turned into a fierce competition. Willow proved herself to be a silent threat while Luz, confident as she had been in the beginning, seemed to be struggling to keep up. It wasn’t long before they were all completely lost in the game and Eda forgot about grudgby and the emperor and her sister almost completely.

She wasn’t sure how long they played, but eventually the light spilling in through the windows started to turn golden, and midway through a round, Luz got up to turn on the lights. As she was walking back towards the game she glanced out the window and immediately paused.

“Um, Eda?” she asked without turning around.

Eda had the dice in her hands, frowned as she got up and glanced out the window to see a figure coming up the path to the house. The figure was wearing a long white cloak with a hood that hid their face, but Eda could still tell exactly who it was. “Ugh, her again?” She rolled her eyes and dropped the dice on the table. “King, play for me. I’ll be right back.” The sleeping demon let out an angry exclamation, but he snatched up the dice anyway and scrambled to sit at the table.

Eda rolled her neck and felt every joint in her body groan in protest as she walked towards the door.

“Who is it?” Luz asked, still eagerly trying to look out the window to get a better view of the visitor. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eda said. She cast a spell circle and the blinds snapped down. “You guys keep playing, I’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Luz, it’s your turn next,” Willow said pointedly.

That was enough to draw Luz back to the game, and Eda took the opportunity to slip outside. The evening air was crisp and cool, and a light breeze rustled the leaves in the trees. She cast a quick sleep spell on Hooty; she was hardly in the mood to deal with him right now.

The figure on the path stopped and lowered her hood, and sure enough, there she was.

“Lilith.”

“Hello, Edalyn,” Lilith replied. “I’m sorry to drop in on you like this. Especially when it seems you’re…” she paused and raised one eyebrow. “…otherwise occupied.”

“Nah, it’s just the kids and they’re busy enough,” Eda said. “What are you doing here? Looking for a rematch?”

Lilith chuckled drily. “No. I’m not here to make a scene. I’m actually officially not here at all.”

“A social call? That’s new.”

“Not quite. I’m here to return this.” As she spoke, Lilith stepped closer and pulled Eda’s ring out of the folds of her dress. When Eda didn’t move to take it, Lilith rolled her eyes. “I didn’t do anything to it. Go ahead, you can check.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Eda said as she aimed a detection charm at the ring. Her yellow spell circle flew over the gem and spun around it a few times before dissipating without sensing so much as a schoolyard hex. With that assurance, Eda stepped closer and carefully took the ring, visually inspecting it before she slid it back onto her hand. “So,” she started. “How’d it go?”

“Well enough,” Lilith said simply in a tone that warned that Eda was treading dangerously close to an edge. “But neither the emperor nor I have any further use for it, so I thought there wouldn’t be any harm in returning it.”

The emperor.

The very mention of him sent Lilith’s desperate cry playing in Eda’s head all over again, and somehow having Lilith standing in front of her so frustratingly stoic made it even worse. She crossed her arms tightly in front of her chest and started to turn away.

“Thanks,” she said simply.

“I think I should be thanking you,” Lilith said. “I can’t say that the emperor was pleased, but it was something, so thank you for that.”

Eda shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

There was a long moment in which neither of them spoke, and the quiet between them seemed as solid as a stone wall. There was so much she longed to say and to ask, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. And even if she could, she was sure that she wouldn’t get any answers. It was secret, after all. Coven business. Eda wouldn’t understand.

“I should go,” Lilith said finally.

She turned back towards the path, but before she could leave, something came over Eda. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and before she could second-guess herself, she called out, “Lily, wait.”

Lilith stopped and paused for a moment before she turned around, slow and almost uncertain like she wasn’t sure that she had heard right. “Yes?”

“Since you’re already not officially here, you feel like not officially coming inside for dinner?”

That clearly wasn’t what Lilith had been expecting. She frowned. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Eda said. “Last I checked there weren’t any laws against inviting my sister for dinner.”

Lilith’s lips twitched. “And if there were you’d probably break them anyway.”

Eda smirked. “Probably. But what do you say? I mean, it’s just leftovers, but the kids like it well enough. And besides, Owlbert should be back with something sweet any time now. What do you say?”

Lilith paused and bit her lip as she considered the offer, but her heavy sigh was answer enough. “I can’t. I’ve stayed too long already.”

“Is this about the emperor?” Eda asked. “Listen, I don’t know what he’s got over you, nor do I want to know, but I will say if you ever get sick of him and his dork brigade, there’s always a spare room around here. I swear Hooty just spawns them to mess with me on cleaning days.”

“Thank you, Edalyn.” Lilith’s voice was soft and looked down as she clasped her hands together. “But I promise I’m than capable of taking care of myself.”

“Oh I know that,” Eda said, waving a hand dismissively. She leaned back against the house and casually nudged the door so that it opened just the slightest bit, barely noticeable, but just enough that Eda could hear when the game inside apparently took a turn. King squealed and the kids’ laughter spilled outside. “Just know that you don’t have to do it alone.”

Lilith sighed again, but she didn’t try to object. In fact, she didn’t say anything at all. For a long moment, the only sounds were the rustling of the leaves in the evening breeze and the muffled cries and exclamations of the kids inside. Eda waited, let the quiet stretch until she saw Lilith bite her lip and shift her gaze upwards—the same tell she’d always had when she was trying not to cry. For just a split second the coven mask seemed to slip and Eda saw a rare glimpse of her sister behind it.

“I can’t,” Lilith said finally.

“Another time then,” Eda said.

Lilith offered a flash of a half-smile as she met Eda’s eyes again. “Maybe another time.”

Eda straightened up and let one hand fall lazily to her hip. “Well,” she said. “You know where to find me. The door’s not always open, but I can usually talk Hooty out of eating people if I get a heads up.”

A flicker of confusion crossed Lilith’s face. “Is that—”

“Yes, that was a joke.” Eda shrugged. “Mostly.”

“I’ll remember that,” Lilith said. In a practiced movement that Eda had to admit had style, she brought her closed hands together and parted them as her white staff appeared. She mounted her staff and let it hover for a moment as she faced Eda. “There are big changes coming,” she said. “No matter what you think of the Emperor, his is the safest side to be on.”

“And there’s the sales pitch.” Eda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Well, it was nice while it lasted, but I’ll see you around.”

She started to turn back towards the house, but this time it was Lilith’s turn to stop her.

“Eda, wait.”

Eda. Lilith had only ever called her that when she was desperate, and that alone was enough to make Eda turn around. The low evening light cast shadows across her face, but it still wasn’t enough to hide the sheen over her eyes, and Eda felt her heart twist even before she heard Lilith’s tight voice.

“I know we don’t always understand each other, but I hope you know that I’ve never wanted to do anything to hurt you.”

And there it was.

The backs of Eda’s eyes started to prickle and burn and she crossed her arms again, tighter this time in a half-hearted attempt to keep herself together. There were a million things that she wanted to say and a million different emotions swirling through her: so many years-worth of pain, anger, betrayal, grief, and more that she couldn’t even name. But beneath them all was the one that she most feared admitting, so naturally, that was the only one that she could put words to.

“I love you, Lily.” Her voice was so soft to her own ears that she almost wasn’t sure that she had said it at all, but she couldn’t bring herself to repeat it.

Lilith didn’t say anything for a long moment, and Eda kept her eyes on the dirt, terrified that when she looked up, she’d find Lilith already gone. But after what felt like an eternity, she heard her sister’s quiet voice.

“I love you too, Edalyn.”

The first tear slipped its way out down Eda’s cheek and when she looked up, Lilith had already turned away. Her dark hair was a curtain blocking her face from view, but her hands were tight around her staff and she twisted them as she clearly struggled to compose herself.

At that moment, the game inside seemed to come to a climax. The inarticulate, overlapping screams and hysterical laughter was such a sharp contrast to the somber mood outside that it was almost comical, and Eda felt a smile twitch across her lips. Well, that was just one more emotion to add to the confusing mess that she wasn’t looking forward to untangling later that night.

Lilith had clearly heard the kids too. She let out a dry laugh and shook her hair back as she looked back down at Eda. “I’ll let you get back to your little slumber party,” she said. “And don’t think I’ll let you forget that you owe me a dinner.”

“I’ll be waiting for it,” Eda said.

Lilith offered her a half-smile, and there was a genuine warmth in her eyes before she turned her staff to the north and took off. Eda watched until she disappeared over the trees and even longer after that until suddenly the yard around her was bathed in light and she heard Luz calling her name.

“Eda? Is everything okay?”

Eda sniffed and swiped at a few last stubborn tears before she spun around to face Luz.

“Yeah, kid, everything’s fine.”

Luz narrowed her eyes, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to ask more questions that Eda didn’t feel like answering, but to her surprise, Luz didn’t say anything. Instead, she just wrapped her arms around Eda’s waist and hugged her tight. Eda hadn’t even realized how much she needed that.

“Thanks, Luz,” she murmured as she ruffled Luz’s hair.

“That’s what families do,” Luz replied. She pulled away and looked like she was about to say something else, but then something over the trees caught her eye. “Is that Owlbert?”

Eda spun around to look, and sure enough, there was the little palisman, flapping his wings hard to keep both himself and the overstuffed tote bag he had in his talons in the air. He hooted excitedly when he saw Eda and Luz, and he dropped the bag on the ground beside them before perching on Eda’s shoulder and nuzzling her cheek. The bag was filled to bursting with all different kinds of cakes and cookies and pastries—far more than Eda had expected—and she felt her stomach growl just looking at them.

“Good work, Owlbert.” She scratched the top of his head and he cooed. “Help me get this inside? I’m starving!”

“On it.” Luz grabbed the bag and picked it up with a groan. “Farewell, weak nerd arms.”

Eda chuckled and followed her back into the house. The game had been paused, but Eda still had to swat King away from the board to keep him from mixing up the pieces.

The kids clambered around the kitchen table, and Eda couldn’t help but notice how Luz helped Amity into a chair and volunteered to get her food for her. Willow was telling a story about some incident or another with a carnivorous plant, and Gus was entertaining King with miniature illusions of himself. It was almost strange how natural it felt to have the house so full of life, and it was almost enough to push all thoughts of Lilith and the emperor and the impending end of the summer out of her head.

Sister or no, Eda still had family, and at least for the night, that was more than enough.


End file.
